Then and Now
by radiany
Summary: [for MakikoIgami] Sometimes things change. Sometimes they don't. [starring a KaiJouYamiYuugi mixed up love square with all of them oblivious]


**Dedication **Makiko Igami

**Why** Because this was her pre-February challenge and because she's very, very patient…

**Labels **shonen-ai; OOC; strangeness; in pieces; denial; confusion; exaggeration; drabble; oneshot; challengefic; pg13

**[beforehand]**

The story format was inspired by Blythely's "Was, Will, Is." This doesn't measure even half to what _she's _capable of smile.

The challenge was: Jounouchi thinks Kaiba's in love/with Yuugi. Kaiba thinks Jounouchi's in love/with Yami. Get them together. We assume that Kaiba and Jounouchi burn up at little things.

…I'm pretty sure that this wasn't done right.

--

**Then and Now**

**--**

**feel. [he's not confused, he just acts confused]**

The first time Jounouchi ever felt jealousy towards Yuugi was after he caught Seto Kaiba staring at his archrival with a look of drowning passion. The feeling sort of boiled up inside of him and bubbled outwards towards his skin, and he felt himself seething over it weeks after it had happened.

Even after he'd felt himself simmer down, his security circle found themselves at bit hesitant to approach.

But after a few days, Anzu felt that the whole ignore-Jounouchi act was stupid, Honda felt amused, and Otogi sniffed prudishly but sauntered a few inches closer than yesterday.

Yuugi felt worried, if not a bit anxious at Jounouchi's recent behavior, and he approached him in order to ask what was wrong.

Jounouchi felt that: because Yuugi _was_ his best friend, and because Yuugi had every right to know (with his "saving our asses" act for the past few years), he should probably tell him how he felt after the whole Kaiba-watching act. However, Yuugi would probably feel that it was strange, and give him curious looks throughout the day before observing both him and Kaiba for the next few _months_ in order to find the injustice in Kaiba's act.

So instead of telling him how he felt, Jounouchi flashed Yuugi a brilliant grin and proceeded to tell him all about something else.

He felt just rotten about it afterwards.

**want****. [denial isn't just a river ****Egypt**** had]**

The first time Kaiba ever wanted himself to be anything other than "pissed as hell" at "the other Yuugi" (excluding all the other times he found himself spitting fire from other Yuugi's acts, because those were explainable, and this was just plain stupid) was after he caught Katsuya Jounouchi, the brainless mutt, being _kissed_ by the schizophrenic bastard (of all people). It was just a peck on the cheek, but _still_.

He didn't wait for what happened afterwards (other Yuugi's midget side popped out in a flash of golden light and proceeded to explain, flustered, that other Yuugi was learning about French cultures and traditions and had decided to try it out for himself _despite_ his protesting) because he had, for some reason or another, lost his composure and had proceeded to storm across the schoolyard with lightning striking down all around him.

Needless to say, no one had wanted to be ten feet near him after that.

Weeks after that particular incident, his thunderstorm had fallen to a small patch of rain clouds. A few days later, Mokuba had penetrated his "do not enter" zone to ask what was wrong, big brother, and oh – did he want anything?

Kaiba wanted to say that yes, he wanted Jounouchi on collar and leash, and yes, he wanted Jounouchi to heel beside his bed, and yes, he wanted Jounouchi to give him a thousand doggie kisses, however disturbing the images were. But what would Mokuba say about that?

So instead of telling him what he wanted, Kaiba sighed and reached out a hand to ruffle Mokuba's hair, smiling slightly at the soft whine he heard in his brother's complaints.

He wanted nothing that played with the past.

**know****. [all the little things]**

The first time they ever kissed each other, it was with tongue and it was raining. It was spring and Kaiba was the one with the umbrella – blue, and Jounouchi was the one standing out in the rain, getting soaked to the bone. Neither was complaining though - except, maybe, when: Kaiba finally pulls away and glares at Jounouchi, saying that he's getting _him_ all wet, and Jounouchi sticks his tongue out like a little kid and says that it's Kaiba's fault, because he's being a bastard and doesn't want to share the umbrella like **normal** couples would.

Then Kaiba gives that little infuriating smirk of his and says that if they're a couple, then the world might as well end.

And Jounouchi glares and grumbles and crosses his arms despite the fact that they're heavy and snaps a retort: then why were you so mad after Yami no Yuugi kissed me?

Kaiba frowns and raises a thin eyebrow and starts to tell him that jealousy does not a couple make, but stops in mid-sentence and narrows his eyes and asks him in a funny little tone: you noticed? And then he shuts up so fast that his teeth clank together when his mouth closes.

Jounouchi eyes him, a little surprised and a little amused. Softly, and almost gleefully, he smiles and says that he did and he does.

He receives a 'shut up' and a sharp-but-still-tender-around-the-edges retort saying that Jounouchi was steaming some time ago and what the hell _that_ was all about. When Jounouchi huffs and tells him, Kaiba gives a disgusted look that's making Jounouchi snort with laughter because it's a hilarious sight. Kaiba then sneers and says that he wasn't looking at other Yuugi's minute-sized puppet at all and was the mutt too blind to see that he was watching _him_?

Jounouchi wants to say something in defense, but he can't find the words because Kaiba's giving him that _look _again.

So, with a not-really loving smile, he proceeds to tell him that Yami no Yuugi (after being prodded repeatedly by his other self) told him that in France, boys aren't supposed to kiss other boys.

Kaiba knows this, but snorts anyway and says that other Yuugi is stupid. He moves forward and the umbrella's covering them both.

Jounouchi's giving him a strange look.

Kaiba smirks, saying that they're not standing in a park in Paris now, are they and proceeds to prove Jounouchi wrong.

**fin****.**

**[afterward]**

Finished June 22nd, 2004.

Written and modified 72 minutes or more [one hour, 12 minutes].

944 words.

I'm no good with dialogue xD; Still, this wasn't that bad, was it? It _was _random, and there are exaggerations and out-of-character-ness everywhere you look. -sigh- Still, I hope you enjoyed it, Igami-san

The 'boys don't kiss boys' bit is credited to my French IA teacher, M. Pierre Baigue xD Supposedly, in greeting: if friends – girls kiss boys (on the cheek), boys kiss girls (on the cheek), and girls kiss girls (on the cheek). The last sentence in this ficlet doesn't make sense because of that glares

And to Schuldich-muse [again, because I'm too lazy to play "find-and-answer" in my LJ –sweatdrops-]: I thought that "…just rotten about it afterwards…" worked well, because I assume that Jounouchi hates lying to Yuugi even when he is; I guess it _is_ focused more on the "rotten" then the "afterwards," but if you interpreted it that way, then that was what I wanted. And "tongue" implies "sticking your tongue in the other's mouth." It's an action/verb, not a noun.

**endlog[****10:41 pm****]**


End file.
